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Fantastic Blogs For Fly Fishing Addicts

That’s it for trout in 2015. Can you hear your fly tying vice calling? Yes, winter is approaching, and with it the prospect of short crisp days in search of Grayling. But here’s something for those dark evenings when the rain is lashing down and, well, you can’t spend all your time tying flies, can you?

We’ve scoured the Internet for some of the best fly fishing blogs around. Winter reading to keep you motivated – enjoy.

Have you ever had an Internet row with someone determined to be outraged, despite not having a clue what they’re talking about? When Alistair, the man behind what is possibly UK’s longest lasting fly-fishing blog, was confronted with the ire of one such ‘Moaning Minnie’, he posted the exchange on his blog.

It makes for entertaining reading, but there’s a serious point too. Alistair and his friends fly fish the Kelvin, but they’re also volunteers who work to maintain and improve the river. The message here is clear – don’t complain unless you’re prepared to roll your sleeves up and chip in.

Urban flyfisher is a great blog, full of anecdotes from the urban river bank. Alistair is a father of three who manages to squeeze his fly fishing into some short, sweet sessions. And yes, there are some big trout to be had from the Kelvin – check out the blog to see the proof.

‘Fly fishing in God’s Own County – and a rambling blog.’ As you’d expect from a brace of Yorkshiremen, this blog delivers exactly what it says on the tin. During the site and blog’s ten plus years, creators, Bob and Stu, have created a top notch resource for anyone interested in fly fishing in Yorkshire.

You’ll find detailed info on some of the county’s best fisheries and some really excellent accounts of fly fishing adventures, complete with some stunning landscape photography.

Take Bob’s recent excursion north of the border. A dodgy erection (check out Bob’s tent), a nasty fall, dehydration and a plague of midges make for a compelling story of his ‘Return to Gairloch’. But did he catch any trout? We’ll leave you to find out for yourself!

The novelty of autumn’s ‘glorious stillness’ didn’t last long for Matt Eastham, AKA the North Country Angler. It took him all of about a week to feel “cooped up in the house as the rain beats against the conservatory roof.” If that’s you too, at least, as Matt says, there’s the prospect of Grayling to look forward to once winter arrives.

In the meantime, do take the time to have a read of Matt’s excellent blog. You’ll find in-depth analysis of two innovative new lines from Sunray: the World Championship Nymph which had him grinning from ear to ear, and the Jeremy Lucas Presentation Line, which Matt reports is “a great option when you expect to be facing a variety of different scenarios in one day”.

And if the dark evenings and the lousy weather do get to you, take a look at Matt’s report of some superb dry fly fishing on the Eden. Some great photographs of some fine catches will soon put you right.

Image source: taffdiaries.comOne of the many ‘little buggers’, aka graylings, caught by Terry this autumn.

Terry Bromwell has the Grayling bug, and no wonder after such a successful day on the Taff recently. He picked off his quarry in numbers by: “Working downriver very slowly pitching the nymphs upstream and letting the leader go past.” Check out his excellent post – there are some great snaps to whet your appetite!

If anyone knows the Taff, it’s Terry. His knowledge of the river dates right back to when he was five or six years old and “worming [his] way down the runs catching some superb trout.” That’s a lot of experience for you to tap into.

Take his post about a day’s fly fishing back in May. What do you do when presented with a hatch of Iron Blue Duns of “biblical proportions”? Go bigger, Terry says – in fact the standout fly of the day was the Large Brook Dun emerger – now there’s a thought…

Here are just two of the many comments left by people who read Brooks and Becks: “Please keep blogging I really enjoy reading all about your fishing trips” and “You talk a lot of sense. Please do keep up the good work.”

We think you’ll agree. Take his post about the EA’s recent work to improve Foston Beck. There’s a really excellent level of detail and some great photos detailing the re-routing of the stream away from a silted up channel, into a new stream bed with a viable gradient. Fascinating stuff.

Though work sometimes gets in the way, there are still plenty of stories about the writer’s fly fishing adventures in North Yorkshire. His recent trip to the Leven was a cracker that saw him net a lovely Grayling. How big? You’ll get no spoilers from us!

Image source: theunfamousfly.co.ukKenny out fishing with his son on Father’s Day (his son took the picture!)

Here’s a self-effacing blog that deserves to be a lot more famous than its name suggests. Blogger, Kenny Halley has created a gem you’re sure to enjoy. We really loved his blow by blow account of his recent adventure, bugging for Tigers. It was a cracking fish, and what a fight. It went under the bridge, back out, into the weeds, back under the bridge – it’s a miracle Kenny’s line wasn’t broken!

A plain speaking man, Kenny tells it like it is, which is always refreshing. So if you’re thinking of doing a spot of fly fishing in and around central Scotland, this is a great site to check out.

And the man’s a dab hand with a camera too. In fact, if you’re already suffering from a dose of the late autumn blues, we highly recommend his film of summer fun at Pendreich – Fishing Under A Blood Red Sky. Oh, for those summer evenings!

How would you fancy “three months of stalking large trout in gin clear water, fantasy landscapes and living in a tent.”? We’re guessing you wouldn’t mind, though for some an upgrade to a hotel would complete the fantasy.

But for this intrepid blogger, the dream is reality. We haven’t heard from him since he touched down in New Zealand’s South Island, but our guess is he’s already reeling in some monster trout. Watch this space for the reports…

The River Beat’s writer is nothing if not well travelled. Born in Swaziland, he’s fly fished all over the world. His favourite saying is one of John Gierach’s: “But at the moment I didn’t know where I’d go or when I’d get there: a feeling that makes me happier than almost anything else.” You’ll love this blog.

Image source: urbantrout.netAn urban legend or is there really wild brown trout in the Bristol Frome?

Feel too conspicuous in tweed and overdressed in high tech fishing clothing? Urban fly fishers will love the news, views and gear on offer at Urban Trout. How about a pair of wading boots that look like Converse Allstars? You’ll fit right into the city environment like a true guerilla fly fisher.

But Urban Trout is about a lot more than cool fly fishing clobber. A portion of sales goes to helping maintain and improve urban waterways and the news feed gives ample voice to all the work volunteers are putting in to make city fly fishing viable.

Just checkout the enormous heap of rubbish and junk pulled from waterways in the Manchester area. What a way to mark World Rivers Day 2015? The blog authors write. Anyone lost a bike?

From hero to zero in under a minute – watch Paul Hanley’s video of the moment he caught – and lost a big salmon. It would have made a fine conclusion to the 2015 season but, alas, it was not to be. Everyone loves a blogger with a good sense of humour, which is why we’re sure you’ll enjoy this blog.

But there’s a lot more to Paul’s site than a missed fish. Thinking of investing in some new fly fishing clothing? There’s a whole section dedicated to giving you the low down on the gear Paul has used and abused – top tip – he loves the Airflo back support belt he purchased from Fishtec!

And how about this for a novel way to retrieve a stuck salmon spinner? All you need is a length of bramble, a pen knife or scissors and the ability to get level with, or upstream, of your snagged line. Intrigued? It’s a lesson Paul learned from his Grandfather – the old ways are the best!

“Have fly rod, will travel”, says the Unemployable fly fisher. And he does – from the River Don in Aberdeenshire to Loch Assynt in far flung Sutherland and beyond. An adventurous soul, he’s an analytical and entertaining writer too.

As the winter draws in, the unemployable fly fisher takes a look at the tendency to spend time online, looking at endless videos of the perfect cast, or the perfect choice of fly. But while the plethora of information out there can help you hone your technique, it can also make you doubt yourself.

Too much advice can make you feel inadequate, our blogger writes. His advice? “Learn what you can from others, but don’t let their knowledge and opinions weigh on you or belittle your self confidence! There is no magic fly! No silver bullit!” Wise advice from a talented blogger!

“This is not the end,” blogger, Ben Lupton writes. It turns out he didn’t realise the trout season wasn’t over until the 30th October. Having previously thought it finished a month earlier, the good news could mean only one thing: a late season fly fishing trip to deepest East Anglia with friend, Tom.

Both using 8’4’’ rods, they took turns to fish almost identical flies, an Adams klinkhamer and copper beadhead pheasant tail nymph. We won’t spoil the story by telling you how many trout they caught between them, except to say Tom tends to lose count after five…

Ben’s blog is an excellent winter read, and it’s packed with photos that add to the narrative. This really is fly fishing blogging at its best.

It was Prince Philip who introduced blogger Allan to the joys of fly fishing. Well sort of. The self styled, “Dabbler of Hillend” fell in love with the sport while preparing for his Duke of Edinburgh award when he was a boy. Since then, his enthusiasm for hill walking, fly fishing and fly tying has only grown.

Have you ever fancied getting your hands on a float tube? Allan’s recently got one. Find out how he got on when he tried it out at Loch Lilly, near Airdrie. His thoughts: “Perhaps I spent too much time moving around and maybe should have concentrated my efforts in some areas a little longer.” Tempting though, with all that manoeuvrability!

The next day though, Alan was back on his feet, leaving “armchair fishing” for another day while he and a friend hiked to a lochan west of Rannoch Moor. You’ll love his tale of his day’s fishing in the remote Scottish Highlands. Excellent blog.

Image source: singlebarbed.comPhew, a nice addition to the tennis balls, Frisbee and shopping carts found in this lake!

“The only crime in fishing worse than being caught with live earthworms in your vest by your pals, is telling a fishing story poorly.” Wise words from blogger in search of an active verb to describe his recent fly fishing adventure. Did he hook, fight, play or dally with a 10lb bass? We’ll leave it to you to find out.

This is a US based fly fishing blog with a sense of humour whose writer, one K Barton, takes a quizzical look at his sport of choice. Not one to take himself too seriously, he reckons the only thing dumber than fish are anglers.

Fair enough, but there’s some great content here. For example, did you know in the USA “only four percent of the licensed anglers purchase a fishing license every year (10 out of 10 years)” check out K’s TOP GUN, THE BEST OF THE BEST to find out from where he gets his facts. Interesting stuff.

Small Stream Brown Trout Fishing

Some incredible photos of large moths and larvae make this fly fishing blog a must. We’re talking elephants here! But don’t worry, there’s a great deal of excellent angling content too.

What’s the point of catch returns? blog author, Richard asks. Talking about his local club’s half mile beat that yielded a suspiciously bountiful 500 fish, he wonders how many are just the same trout being caught over and over again.

And how about this for a fishing adventure well worth checking out? A 5lb 8oz chub and a 4lb 12oz wild brown trout both in the same session. How did he do it? His top tip – take your time studying the water. Wise words indeed.

If you’re thinking of starting to tie your own flies, Kieron Jenkins’ fly tying videos are a great start. His fly tying videos are not only mesmerising, they’re a great guide to how to tie such beauties as the holographic cormorant and the yellow dancer.

Kieron’s built up a fine collection of flies, and his galleries of dries, jigs, lures and nymphs is a feast for the eyes. They’re also sure to entice the fish to the hook!
Ron’s Fishing isn’t all about the vice, though. He’s got some solid advice for winter trout anglers. Fish deep when the water’s cold, as often your quarry will be looking for warmer climes deeper in the swim. They want to be away from the chill as much as you do!